Just A Friend
by Lady Dragon
Summary: Oneshot. Naruto was special in that regard, he needed a whole new word to describe what he meant to the socially and emotionally stunted ANBU. Uchiha Sasuke it is on. NaruSai, implied SasuNaru.


**Archived At:**  
Nanashi-Inc - nanashi-inc(dot)net  
Bonds of Friendship (Sai & Naruto fanlisting and shrine)- fanatic(dot)nanashi-inc(dot)net(backslash)bonds

**Author's Notes:** I was such a NejiNaru fangirl and I still am but ever since chapter 281 of the manga I have a new favorite shounen ai pairing - NaruSai. Yeah for all of Sai's teasing I think of him as the uke D Needless to say this story contains some minor spoilers if you are not up to date with the manga, if you're only watching the anime for example you're seriously going to be wondering who the heck Sai is! Anyway this is just a small little NaruSai drabble that was just begging to be written, now enjoy!

This drabble has not been betaed!

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**Just a Friend  
**By Lady Dragon 

Friend. A person on intimate and affectionate terms with another. A supporter; well-wisher.

That was the term that Sakura and Naruto insisted on using when referring to their relationship. Sai was their _friend_, their teammate. It was also the term he used to attribute to his relationship with Sakura, but not Naruto. Naruto was special in that regard, he needed a whole new word to describe what he meant to the socially and emotionally stunted ANBU.

Unfortunately Sai was pretty sure that Naruto did not feel the same.

It had taken the lives of many of their comrades, including his mentor and leader Danzou, but at long last Orochimaru and his numerous minions had been defeated and the rebellious Uchiha heir had been returned to Konoha. Initially the village and its elders had been thrilled with his return, completely willing to overlook his transgression despite the Godaime's best efforts to hold him to some sort of accountability. He was, after all, the sole Uchiha left to Konoha, thus he was a commodity that could not be wasted.

The villagers sought a reason for the Uchiha's behavior, and though a good portion of that blame was laid at both Uchiha Itachi and Orochimaru's doorstep, a good portion of it was also attributed to the Kyuubi vessel's influence on his teammate. Nevermind the fact that Naruto had been the most determined to keep the Chiha from defection, and the most determined to rescue the spoiled teen and bring him back home. To his credit the Uchiha vehemently denied the false accusations laid upon his best friend, and was visibly agitated by the wave of backlash that Naruto suffered as a result of the Uchiha's return.

With the grudgingly given help of the Konoha eleven, Uchiha Sasuke began to return to his former self, albeit a slightly more open version of his former self. Through this rough period many of the Jinchuuriki's dissenters were forced to re-evaluate their opinion of the young man they thought they knew. The Uchiha was not he easiest person to deal with, especially when all that the angst-ridden teen wanted to do was to head back out after his murderous brother himself rather then leaving his elder sibling's fate in the hands of his fellow shinobi. The Konoha eleven had been hard pressed to stand by the Uchiha's side and in the end the only one to continuously support the Sharingan-wielder had been the one and only Uzumaki Naruto.

Their bonds of friendship had strengthened, so much so that the two were nearly inseparable. The only time those two could not be found together was when one was sent off on a mission without the other, which was happening less and less these days.

Despite becoming a permanent member of team seven, or maybe because of it, Sai found himself in direct competition with the Uchiha for Naruto's attention. A competition he was sorely losing. There was one strategy though that always guaranteed Naruto's undivided attention. _"Oi Naruto, what's it like having sex with such a small penis?"_

Yes, size does matter and comments like those always guaranteed Naruto's undivided attention. The Uchiha would sometimes try to turn the tables on Sai for Naruto's benefit, and had come up with quite a few scathing and cutting remarks that stunned Sai and left him with no smart quip to retort with. In those instances Sai had to revise his strategy. Verbally attacking the Uchiha was out, because then it became a two on one verbal attack that always ended with the Uchiha and Naruto celebrating their victory and Sai nursing his bettered ego. Instead Sai had to split the duo up and attack them separately, he had to effectively disrupt their teamwork and then he could take out the Uchiha, completely ostracizing him from the conversation. That's when comments like: _"Ah, I see now, you can't even handle a discussion on your own now without the aide of your seme eh Naruto-kun?"_ After that no matter what the Uchiha contributed to the argument he was blatantly ignored by their foxy teammate leaving Sai with all of the blu-eyed teen's attention to himself. He was the center of Naruto's world for that small time and throughout the rest of the day Naruto's thoughts would return again and again to him and only him.

He might not be able to compete with the Uchiha on a level battlefield for a place in the blonde's heart, but then what shinobi fights fairly and openly? Unlike the Kazekage and the Hyuuga he would not go down without some semblance of a fight.

Uchiha Sasuke it is on.


End file.
